With a colossal upset Friday, 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State took down second-seeded Michigan State. Somewhere, Magic Johnson is sad.

That sets the stage for No. 10 Syracuse and No. 15 Middle Tennessee in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

Get to know a bit about Syracuse’s next opponent with some facts about MTSU:

1. Been here before

As a No. 13 seed in the 1989 NCAA Tournament, MTSU trailed No. 4 Florida State by 17 with 16 minutes remaining. The Raiders then went on a 47-16 run to advance to the second round. MTSU then lost to Virginia, and have never won in the Round of 32.

2. Southern twang

Middle Tennessee State is in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, and has 20,262 students.

3. You gon’ learn today

MTSU was founded in 1911 as one of three state teaching training schools — what was referred to then as a “normal school” (this is important in a second). It didn’t become a full-fledged university until 1965.

4. A new nickname

In 1934, a MTSU football player won a local newspaper’s contest to nickname the school with the “Blue Raiders.” That replaced the unofficial nicknames of “Normalities,” “Teachers” and — imagine if this one had lasted — “Pedagogues.”

5. Go (Grease) Lightning

Despite being the “Blue Raiders,” Middle Tennessee’s mascot is Lightning, a winged horse based on Pegasus from Greek mythology. According to the school’s “Legend of Lightning,” it symbolizes the excellence of the university’s aerospace and horse science programs, as well as recognizes “the region’s heritage in the walking horse industry.”

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MORE COVERAGE:

• No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State shocks No. 2 seed Michigan State
• Everything you need to know, on the basketball court, about MTSU
• A look back at the first time a No. 15 seed beat a No. 2 seed

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6. Prior mascots

Before adopting Lightning in 1998, MTSU’s mascot was “Ole Blue,” a blue-colored scent hound, and before that, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. But Forrest was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, so in the early 1970s the school slid away from the association.

7. Global warming is real

Albert Gore Sr. graduated from MTSU in 1932. His son Al Gore Jr., one-time vice president, global warming advocate and winner of the 2000 presidential election popular vote, returned to be a visiting professor years later.

8. Music and Concrete

Two of its most distinguished programs are in recording industry and concrete industry management. Yes, that’s studying concrete business and yes, it was the first concrete degree in the nation, according to the school’s site.

Rolling Stone magazine recognized MTSU, with five 24/7 recording studios, as one of the nation’s best schools for music industry studies in 2005.

9. Quarterback, Nobel Prize winner and International Man of Mystery

Notable alumni include George Clinton ’69, the composer of the soundtrack for the Austin Powers trilogy, Nobel Prize-winning economist James McGill Buchanan ’40 and one-time Buffalo Bills quarterback Kelly Holcomb ’94.

10. Other famous one-time students

Lady Antebellum frontwoman Hillary Scott, rapper Isaiah Rashad and Major League Baseball pitcher Dewon Brazelton didn’t finish at Middle Tennessee State, but it didn’t seem to hurt them much.

Published on March 18, 2016 at 8:17 pm

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